No-Knead Crusty White Bread: our 2016 recipe of the year

There are all kinds of no-knead bread recipes out there – from white to rye, and pourable-batter breads to long-rise stir-together loaves.

But we all agree, this particular recipe – inspired by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François, whose book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day re-creates the seminal New York City no-knead artisan bread that started it all over a decade ago – deserves its championship status.

1. Start with the simplest of ingredients.

2. Stir everything together.

Mix the ingredients together. Let the soft dough rise at room temperature (in a container with enough room for expansion), then refrigerate for up to 7 days. This time in the fridge develops the dough’s gluten (which is why you don’t have to knead it); and enhances its flavor, as well.

See? No special skills, tools, or knowledge required.

3. Shape the dough as you like.

Shape the dough into balls, or stretch it into longer loaves. Don’t worry about making perfectly round loaves or ruler-straight baguettes; I never do.

Want to make skinny bread sticks, or pizza crust? Go for it.

Place on a pan. Cover and let rise until puffy (see the recipe for details). Spray with water and slash.

Even those of us who’ve been baking bread for decades sometimes tire of intricately crafted sourdough boules and multiple-ingredient whole-grain loaves.

We crave a straightforward loaf, hot from the oven, a corner torn off and dipped in a robust, peppery olive oil. Bread that brings us home again – back to our baking roots, when we first learned to embrace the joy of yeast.

Perfect for bread beginners. Ideal for bread experts.

All-inclusive no-knead bread: it’s bread for success.

And sandwiches, of course!

Since I know you’ll ask: this is a cheddar, red onion, fried egg, roasted artichoke heart, and Frank’s hot sauce sandwich – courtesy of my grown son, to whom I taught this no-knead concept back when he was a college kid.

PJ Hamel grew up in New England, graduated from Brown University, and was a Maine journalist before joining King Arthur Flour in 1990. PJ bakes and writes from her home on Cape Cod, where she enjoys beach-walking, her husband, two dogs, and really good food!

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Your recipes are Top Grade! Now, if we can just discover a way to make SF sourdough. I’m up to cheating on this, if that’s what it takes. My Italian friend from San Francisco says it’s the humidity, but I know it’s the bacteria in the air. Right? How does one capture the secret to excellent sour dough?

Nila, to achieve the kind of sourdough flavor you are looking for, cheating is not likely to help. For best results I would look for a recipe that depends on a sourdough starter for rising and flavor and does not call for added yeast. You might like our Extra Tangy Sourdough Bread Recipe or our Artisan Sourdough Bread Recipe. We offer lots and lots of information on sourdough baking and are always happy to answer questions at our Baker’s Hotline: 855-371-2253(BAKE). Barb@KAF

I looked at the artisan sourdough recipe because I’m a hardcore sourdough baker. But I got an error message after I looked at the stiff starter and tried to go back to the main recipe. Is this stiff starter really necessary anyway? Thanks.

This no-knead crusty recipe doesn’t use a starter or preferment. The beauty of the no-knead method is the ease of assembly and baking when you get a craving as the dough is all ready. The artisan sourdough made with a stiff starter is a different method and results in a different taste and texture for the baked bread. Vive la difference! Happy baking! Irene@KAF

I made my own starter about 5 years ago by putting a cup of water-flour slurry covered with cheesecloth outside on a warm, dry day (knowing that there would be several of these days in a row) and “feeding” it a few times a day. Eventually it started to get foamy and smell like beer. I store it in my fridge, use it and refresh it once a week and it has lived on. When I make this bread recipe, I proof the yeast with 1.5 cups of warm water instead of the recommended 2.5, then add 1 cup of sourdough starter before the flour and salt. I usually have a large bowl of dough in my fridge ready to go at any time. Love this recipe!

Jocelyn, you can certainly use active dry yeast in this recipe. Simply proof an equal amount of active dry yeast in the water called for in the recipe for 15 minutes before adding the remaining ingredients. Barb@KAF

I would think you could use regular yeast, only it would take longer to rise. I have not made this bread yet, so I don’t know for sure. I do use instant yeast all the time with good results.
Good luck!

Fresh yeast 100%, Active dry 50% and Instant yeast is 33% If the recipe calls for Instant yeast you would need to convert the instant to Fresh and they divide by 50% to get the dry active. The recipe above ends up being about .75 oz of Active dry yeast

Jess, this recipe should work well in a bread bowl, although you won’t be able to fit all the dough in the bowl at once. Just be sure to oil your bread bowl well and sprinkle it with a coarse flour such as cornmeal, semolina or rice flour before placing the dough in the bowl. Barb@KAF

Jess, were you asking whether this is a good recipe for shaping into little loaves that you can use as soup or chili bowls by cutting off the “lid” and scraping out the middle? It should be great for that purpose. One really minor warning: no-knead breads like this one can have irregular holes in the crumb (that sort of “artisan” look is usually seen as a good thing), so you may have more “rustic” looking bowls rather than perfectly even, perfectly shaped ones. Don’t let that stop you!

You can bake the same day if you can’t wait! Just give it the two hours rising time at room temperature, and then an additional two hours rising time in the refrigerator. Shape the dough and allow it to rise again for at least an hour before baking. Barb@KAF

It will taste MUCH better if you refrigerate it for a few days. If I bake bread the same day I make it, it has a wonderful yeasty flavor, but if you rest it for 4 days, it has that little something extra characteristic of French bread, so definitely wait if you can!

I have made this for years. It was called Ma Ma D’s. However I never put it in the fridge. . I called it my man bread. Every man who ever tried it loved it. I would make a french loaf style and it makes great french toast. It is so easy. I love King Author. I have baked my own bread for over 40 yrs. I tell people that their baking will only be as good as the quality of the products you use. King Author is the best. Every item I have ordered and used products from your company it has been the best. Your products always made my products shine at farmers markets where I sold my pies and breads. Thanks King Author.

Love cooking but have never been a bread baker….a few months ago I followed the recipe posted on your website for this same bread. It sounded pretty simple and great for a one person household with the fact I could bake several loaves over a week or so. It is absolutely wonderful…easy, tasty and I can consume a whole small loaf in a couple of days and then bake another. Where has this recipe been in my past 84 years??? Thank you for the daily posting from the KA website…..my great baker mother would never use any other flour for her use. Now I won’t either!
I say try this recipe even if you have never baked a single other thing in your life.
(Have watched my adult kids decimate a whole loaf right out of the oven! Delicious! Thanks again.

Carol, salt plays a very important roll in yeast bread–contributing to flavor, dough structure and fermentation. Reducing the salt in this recipe will cause the dough to ferment more quickly, and will give you a wetter, weaker dough. This will cause the dough to deteriorate more quickly in the refrigerator. For best results I would not recommend reducing the salt in this recipe. Barb@KAF

Also, remember that although 1 tablespoon of salt seems like a lot, this recipe makes three loaves of bread. When you consider a typical serving size (and the fact that this is homemade, not preservative-laden store bread), it’s not an excessive amount of salt.

Sylvia, the ingredient quantities are listed on the recipe page. In our blog posts the link to the recipe page is located right below the title photo, with the recipe title highlighted in orange. Just to speed things up, here is the link to the No Knead Crusty White Bread Recipe. Barb@KAF

This recipe got me hooked on bread baking several years ago! I love the transformation from a few simple ingredients to the one of the best tasting foods on earth! KAF has the best recipes, ingredients and instructions. You can’t go wrong with this one!

I make this bread all the time and wouldn’t go back to any other recipe. It is so easy and so tasty, specially with some of the KAF Ancient Grains flour substituting for some of the white flour. I love the texture of the bread and the crunchiness of the crust. Definitely a five star recipe.

At 5,700 ft elevation, this unfortunately just does not work — I tried many times, very carefully. But even if it did, I find the no-knead method to be just too messy, too much fuss, too time-consuming, compared with the simple kneaded-dough method. I can never understand why people hate kneading so much. 🙂

I like this recipe because it’s easy when I am busy. It is a different kind of bread than the ‘regular’ kneaded loaves. It’s great to dip in olive oil. It’s very good as a bread to serve hot with a meal. It’s like the bread you would get in a restaurant with dinner, sliced and placed in a basket. Artisan bread. It’s nice to keep it in the refrigerator to make whenever you want a loaf. My kneaded bread recipes create more of a bread to slice and use for sandwiches or toast.

Mary, this recipe will likely need several adjustments to work at altitude. I would start will room temperature or cooler water and reduce the initial rising time at room temperature to one hour rather than two. You may also find that using bread flour instead of unbleached all-purpose flour will help your dough rise better at altitude. Barb@KAF

Yes, this recipe would work well for that. You would need to shape your small boules well, so they would keep their shape.You can visit the main website at KAF, click on videos and then scroll down to “baking skills”. View the video on shaping sourdough boules. Hope this helps. Happy baking! JoAnn@KAF

Been making a no-knead recipe for about 6 years now. I always use a cast iron pot, pre heated to 450-500 deg. I know that doesn’t quite fit your model with baguettes and other shaped breads, but the steam created in the pot is extraordinary. I can not enough steam to get the crust right w/o it. Water to flour ratio 87%. Creates a great crumb and a truly wonderful crust.

We love that you have recreated an environment that gives you the wonderful crusty exterior that you are looking for. Cast iron dutch ovens are wonderful and do create the steam you need. As they say, “…if it is not broken, don’t fit it.” Happy Baking! JoAnn@KAF

I have been using this no-knead method for several years now. I also use a cast iron pot. But lately the bottom of the bread is very hard. Any idea what would be causing that. Other than the hard bottom the bread is wonderful. I use KAF and follow the recipe.

You might be overbaking the loaf. Remove the lid as soon as the bread it set so the bread can brown sooner. Another possibility is placing the pot too close to the bottom oven element, so try moving it up a rack. Finally, a piece of parchment under the bread will reduce moisture evaporation and slow the browning of the base. Laurie@KAF

Could u give me a little information on cooking in cast iron dutch oven pot. This is my first time trying to get the information of the recipie an cook pot.. I love to cook in cast iron. Do u grease the pot with any thing special? What is the cooking time?

Baking No Knead Crusty Bread in a dutch oven is wonderful. We recommend greasing the inside of the pot and the inside of the lid with olive/vegetable oil. Put your dough in the dutch oven for the 2nd rise. After the dough has risen, spray the top with water and slash the top with a sharp knife a couple times to let the gases out (or your loaf will explode). Put the lid on and put the pot in the oven at the temperature that the recipe says and for the time the recipe says. Ten minutes before the time is up, take the lid off so that your loaf can get a nice brown color. Hope this helps! JoAnn@KAF

We have great news, Jani and Selena. Our friends at Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day have come up with a gluten-free version of this wonderful, convenient recipe. The full method and recipe can be found in their book, Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Happy gluten-free baking! Kye@KAF

This recipe just needs to be stirred together and then put in the refrigerator. The flour volume is 6 1/2-7 1/2 cups of flour. I am not sure which bread machine you have, but most machines will only hold a capacity of 5 1/2 or so. Also, this is a no-knead recipe, so again stirring to incorporate the flour is all you need to do. My recommendation is to not use your bread machine for this recipe. Hope this helps and Happy baking. JoAnn@KAF

Yes…cover loosely with plastic wrap which has been sprayed, so dough does not stick to the top. This will prevent a crust from forming on the top of the loaf. Hope this helps and Happy Baking! JoAnn@KAF

You can easily divide everything in half- and many of us prefer scales for accuracy. The times will remain the same- but if your final loaf is smaller, you will have to adjust the bake time. Laurie@KAF

Can one use bread machine yeast for this recipe? If not, how does one keep the large package of active yeast from spoiling?
I am a keen pastry cook, but have limited my bread baking to my machine. King Arthur ingredients give me wonderful, stable results. Thank you, and Happy New Year!

Don’t know if my original comment went through. I take out as much as I think I will use over a month and store it in a small jar in the freezer. I use my vaccuum sealer for the rest…put the yeast (original bag and all) into a sealer bag, suck out the air and store in the freezer. I have done the same with a regular ziplock freezer bag after sucking the air out. The yeast has kept viable for up to two years.

White and traditional whole wheats absorb more water than the AP flour does. You will want to increase the water slightly to get the right consistency to the dough. For best results, try making it exactly as written first to familiarize yourself with the dough and the method, then start swapping out the flours. Happy baking! Laurie@KAF

White and traditional whole wheats absorb more water than the AP flour does. You can certainly do it, but you will want to increase the water slightly to get the right consistency to the dough. For best results, try making it exactly as written first to familiarize yourself with the dough and the method, then start swapping out the flours. Laurie@KAF

We recommend 25-50% whole wheat at the absolute most. The whole wheat will absorb more water and the interior won’t be nearly as open and airy. If you do want to try this, you’ll need a bit more water to keep the dough nicely sticky. Happy baking! Laurie@KAF

I can’t wait to try his one. I just made my 4 th recipe of Foccacia bread,Blitz bread. I have been putting finely grated asiago cheese on the top of the loaf after it has risen just before I put in oven. It is delicious. I don’t have a stand mixer any more but the dough tool I bought from you works great along with my Kitchenaid hand mixer using the dough hooks. Even though they are much smaller than my old Kitchenaid stand mixer that I gave to granddaughter. I live all your recipes. No flour chocolate cookies are great also.

You can certainly use some whole wheat flour- start with 1/4 of the total flour. Because this dough is supposed to be fairly sticky, you may need to add a bit more water to achieve the correct consistency. Laurie@KAF

I have made this recipe for years now. And it is fool proof. KAF is great stuff only thing we use here.
I make just as described here,And for baking i use it in a 6 quart dutch oven we have a Pompey brick wood fired oven,for summer where i can get excessively high temps (floor is about 6 to 700 deg F), this also works in the house oven, (surprise), one can mix in fresh chopped garlic, rosemary, or what ever spice one sees fit, just before the finial rise . GOOD STUFF BILL

Alan, if you use bread flour rather than all-purpose the dough will be a bit stiffer, but you shouldn’t have to knead it much more. If you find the dough is too stiff you can add up to 1 tablespoon extra water per each cup of bread flour substituted. Barb@KAF

I make this all the time and never tire of it. Sometimes I think I will make another kind of bread, but my natural laziness, the fact that I usually have this dough in the refrigerator, and the fact that I love it so, means I almost never do. It’s great. But it was even better when we worked in the same office and you brought in baked goods, because you are the BEST baker ever. Saved me ever so much time, satisfied my sweet tooth beyond my wildest imaginings and not having to try to bake stuff myself saved me all those baking failures I’m so good at!

Robert, I think it would be fine to use the same amount of bread flour as all-purpose flour. This will give you a stiffer dough, but it will hold up a bit better over time in the refrigerator. If you find the dough is too stiff, add up to one tablespoon water per each cup of bread flour substituted. Barb@KAF

This looks fantastic!!! Thank YOU KAF!!! I love to bake. It is my go-to release to relax and enjoy baking and then giving away scrumptious goodies ~ thanks to KAF!!! I’ve always loved reading your cookbooks and baking your recipes. Thank you for your expertise and recipes!!!
Question on this 2016 No-Knead Crusty Bread recipe: for pizza crust ~ how long bake and at what temp?

I Love the no-knead method and having been using it for several years now. I do have a slight problem lately, the bottom crust has gotten very hard, more than usual. I use the exact measurements, KAF, a cast iron pan, which I have used since making this bread. Any idea why the bottom would be harder than usual? BTW…love getting your weekly email with so many great recipes.

You might be leaving the bread in the oven a bit too long, overbaking the crust. It’s a balance between the crust color on top and that on the bottom. Experiment with placement in the oven and the time you leave the top off the cast iron pot. You could try use parchment on the bottom of the pot, which will minimize moisture loss from the bottom. Happy baking! Laurie@KAF

After reading Solomon Rosenzweig’s comment on Jan 2, I would ask: how can you preheat a Dutch Oven pot to 450°-500° F and bake the bread in the pot? Don’t you have to put the dough in the pot and then let it rise before baking? I’m just a bit confused by this. Also, I’m guessing the bread is baked with the lid On? Would the bread brown if baked with a lid on? I am anxious to try this bread. Would you also spray the dough with water prior to baking?

Micki, I believe the method Solomon Rosenzweig is referencing comes from Jim Lahey’s No Knead Bread recipe, which was popularized by Mark Bittman. It calls for preheating the pot for an hour and then placing the dough in the hot pot. We don’t recommend this method for anything other than a simple cast iron pot, because enameled cast iron can crack and ceramic pots can break when preheated empty. Normally when baking in a pot with a lid, the lid is removed part way through the bake. This allows the trapped steam at the beginning of the bake to keep the surface of the loaf moist and helps develop a shiny, crisp crust. After the first 20-30 minutes, the loaf is set and the lid is removed to allow the bread to finish baking in a dry oven. An alternative to this method is to allow the bread to rise in your pot (be sure to oil the pot and sprinkle with a coarse flour such as cornmeal, semolina or rice flour before putting the dough in it), and then placing the bread and pot in either a cold oven or a preheated oven when ready to bake. If you’d like more help with this baking method, please give our Baker’s Hotline a call at 855-371-2253(BAKE). Barb@KAF

Of course! In the 9×5 pan, you’ll use about 26-28 ounces of dough, and about 2 pounds in the long loaf. The bread will have a softer crust than the original recipe but the flavor will still be great. Happy baking! Laurie@KAF

I baked my first loaf today. It was perfect-chewy and crusty and a beautiful golden brown! I can’t believe how yummy this bread is from such a small amount of effort. What a great way to have bread ready to go on fairly short notice. This is going to be my number one bread recipe from now on.

This is the recipe I use for years, I make baguettes and then sandwiches for lunch for kids. When my daughter got braces, it was hard for her to eat “sub” at school so I tried to make bread and loaf, using the same dough, same temperature and time, but it looked like the middle of the bread was unbaked or under baked. I tried to lower the temperature and baked it longer, but the middle was still unbaked. Any idea why the middle was unbaked? Thank you.

Gabby, a larger, fatter loaf will take longer to bake, so it makes sense that your larger loaves weren’t baked in the middle when baked for the same amount of time as your baguettes. Try baking at the same temperature, but a bit longer. The internal temperature of the loaf should reach at least 190°F. Barb@KAF

This sounds like a wonderful recipe; I am looking so forward to trying it. Would you suggest this as a good recipe to use for baguettes?? To make them properly, they can be time consuming, so something as simple as this would be a true blessing!!

I’ve been baking bread for a long time but needed something that made it easy AND good during the busy fall! This was the absolute right bread: I experimented with various wheat flours (bread, whole wheat, white wheat) and it was always good. Even used it for the Thanksgiving rolls!

My immigrant great grandparents who came from Poland brought the Brotchen or what we can Semmel recipe to the states in the 1870’s and I grew up with this special hard roll served generally on special occasions ie. Sunday morning before chuch and birthday celebrations. So I had to chuckle when the 2016 Bread winner was featured because it has been such a part of our lives for such a long time. It is the simplicity of the recipe yet has the delicious flavor that guests rave about…particularly when served hot out of the oven with a spread of jam or cheese.

This is the best recipe – I have been using this for a year – and it’s my single recipe that got me hooked on bread baking. It’s so simple and forgiving that it inspires confidence!!! Love this – and it’s so easy to have fresh bread.

Mila, you know, that’s a great question and we don’t actually have a good answer for you. Some bakers here think it would work–yeast is yeast–others are skeptical and think it might result in a baking flop. You could try making a mini loaf to see how it reacts; use tiny proportions and that way if there is no rising activity you haven’t wasted a ton of ingredients. If you give this a go, keep us posted on the progress. Bryanna@KAF

I love no-knead breads. In fact I just simply love bread. I make it often. This no-knead bread is a great example. But if you are like me, I soon end up with a lot of leftover bread (those little scraps which I don’t throw out in the yard for the critters because they are to good to waste) and put in the freezer and look for ways to use. It would be great if KAF, with all of the knowledge they have, would do a post about ideas for leftover bread (think bread pudding, croutons, etc).

Bread will rise no matter what temperature your house may be, just more slowly is all. Some patience is needed, for sure! Just think about the flavor the dough will be developing as it slowly rises! I recommend doing a rise in your oven with just the oven light on. Cover the loaf with some plastic wrap that has been sprayed with pan spray. You may also put a pan on the bottom most rack of your oven. Fill it with some boiling water to create a nice steamy and warm enclosed space! Elisabeth@KAF

I use my microwave oven for this step. It’s enclosed which prevents cold drafts, and for some reason it’s always nice and toasty inside even if I haven’t used the oven for a day or two. (Just remember to set a timer so you don’t forget it’s in there .. voice of experience.) Hope that helps!

Yes I tried this recipe …. Keeping in mind all the bread recipes that have failed in the past years….but having confidence in King Arthur co. I decided to try it … And it was a perfect little bread out of the oven …. I mean flour ,water ,yeast, and salt how simple is that…the crust was crunchy… The inside was moist and delicious …..I went with the two hr rise… I couldn’t wait,…..in the oven with the water at the bottom rack… And it was exactly how the recipe said….this recipe is a keep….. Thanks guys for something simple for everyday use and actually works…..

Thank you for another informative web site. Where else could I get that kind of info written in such an ideal way? I have a project that I’m just now working on, and I’ve been on the look out for such info.

The recipe does not say to punch the dough down after its rise before putting it in the frig. It would be my instinct to do so but what’s the prescribed way. (I’ve been making Mark Bittman’s slow-rise, cast-iron cooker bread and am anxious to try this one.)

There is no need to punch the dough down before it goes into the fridge; it will fall on it’s own. That’s just one reason why we love this recipe–it really requires very little from the baker! Enjoy! Kye@KAF

For many years I have been making Zoe and Jeff’s bread and we love it and its variations. I tried this last night and it was a big hit. I agree about better crust and crumb with AP Flour and the dough seemed easier to work with. Ate it with soup last night and as toast this morning. Thinking about Jeff and Zoes’ Za’atar Flatbread for the last two loaves in the batch. Yum.

This sounds so good and I can’t wait to give it a try. I make homemade rolls all the time but really want to be able to make crusty bread. I have a question though. This makes a lot of bread. Can I make the full recipe and put into fridge and then just pull off as much as I need for the day and leave the rest for next days? Thanks for your help.

Yes! You can shape boules or rounds of dough for bread and smaller pieces of the dough for rolls. The No-Knead Crusty White Bread recipe suggests refrigeration of the dough for up to about 7 days so you can bake fresh bread in that window from 1 – 7 days whenever the craving strikes. Happy Baking! Irene@KAF

This bread is so delicious, my husband almost ate the whole loaf in one night. Good thing he doesn’t have a weight problem! The crust is extremely crusty and the texture of the crumb is superb. I would like to know if I can make this bread with white whole wheat flour.

Like other recipes written for all purpose flour where you’d like to incorporate some whole wheat, start small (25% white whole wheat flour) and work up to 50% white whole wheat flour in the recipe. The recipe for No-Knead Crusty Bread states the following in Tips From Our Bakers: You can absolutely use up to half of the total flour as premium or white whole wheat flour. Be sure to add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of water when using whole wheat to prevent the dough from being too dry. Happy Baking! Irene@KAF

Does this bread turn out anything like Publix white mountain bread? That’s our favorite store-bought bread and I’ve tried several Internet recipes for it, but they turn out heavy and moist. I’m anxious to try your no-knead bread, but will have to halve it because it’s too much for us otherwise, Thanks.

Mary, it sounds like you’re baking your bread towards the end of the week, when most of the starches in the dough have been consumed. This will cause the outside of the loaf to remain pale in color, no matter how long you bake it, and may also be affecting the internal structure of your loaves. Typically a hard crust would be due to longer baking time. Storing your loaves in a plastic bag can help to soften the crust. Try reducing the initial rising time outside the refrigerator to one hour or less; this should extend the amount of time it will last in the refrigerator. And baking your bread earlier in the week should give you a browner crust and a better structure. For more help with this recipe, please give our Baker’s Hotline a call at 855-371-2253(BAKE). Barb@KAF

I see that others have asked about using White Whole Wheat Flour with this recipe. The answer seems to be to increase the water — has anyone tried doing that? If so, how much extra water did you use to get the crunchy outside and the chewy inside?

You can absolutely substitute whole wheat flour (either our Premium or White Whole Wheat) for up to half of the total amount of flour — much more than that, and you’re likely to end up with a heavier, denser loaf. Add an additional 2 teaspoons water per cup of whole wheat flour to prevent the dough from being too dry. Mollie@KAF

I made this bread for dinner tonight. It was very simple to transpose the yeast because I didn’t have instant.
However, the inside of the bread was not as light as I would have liked. It was fine around the edges but seemed a bit “wet” in the middle of the loaf. The outside crust was perfectly golden brown.
Do I need to let the dough rise a little longer or maybe my oven is too hot?????
I hope you have an answer for this. I want to continue making it.
Thanks for your help.

I use this recipe’s ingredients, but when ready to bake a fresh loaf, just put the punched-down dough formed into a ball into a covered casserole dish that has a sheet of parchment at the bottom. Cover and put into a cold oven, immediately turn oven on to 450F, bake for 30 minutes covered, remove cover and bake for 30 more minutes. No need to let dough rise before baking, it raises while the oven warms. When I remove the dough from its mixing bowl, I put in the ingredients for the next loaf and let it start working again. I figure our bread-loving family saves hundreds of dollars a year in bread costs.

Flavor will likely not change, but the extra gluten will give you a higher rise. Be aware that the higher protein flour mixture will need a little more water (one or two tablespoons; make sure the consistency is the same as you see in the blog pictures) than the recipe states. Susan

Renee, the flour will stick beautifully if you sift it over top of the loaf before it starts its final rise. In addition to the aesthetic appeal this creates, it will also help keep the dough moist while it’s resting. A double benefit for very little added effort! Mollie@KAF

Storing the dough is what distinguishes this from so-called “New York” no-knead method–really, no other serious bakers have written on this. Without it, you just don’t save enough time to make daily bread a reality. Thanks so much.

Jeff Hertzberg (BreadIn5.com)
Co-author, The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

We like to keep our no-knead dough in a bucket with a lid or cover it with plastic wrap. If you’ve made the dough in a bowl that’s not at least 6-quart capacity, transfer it to a large bowl for refrigerator storage. A shower cap actually works well for covering either the bucket or the bowl if you can find a cap big enough. Happy Baking! Irene@KAF

OH MY GOSH! This recipe is fantastic, and this is the first time for me to actually bake bread in the oven and it turned out perfect. I normally use the bread machine. I cannot say enough. I followed each and every instruction and tip and we love it. Cannot believe it is so easy. Thank you so much. My husband is ready for me to bake again.

I just made this after it sat in the fridge for 7 days (after rising on the counter 2 hrs).

I made it in my french loaf pan (2 loaves out of a half recipe). It’s nice and crunchy and a little tangy. It didn’t rise hardly at all and it was a very loose dough. Like it needed more flour (i weigh my flour). It stretched out in the pan.

I have another batch in the fridge in which I substituted in 1 cup (120g) of rye flour and I used a can of warm beer instead of water.

I made this bread and it is easy and delicious. One comment and question. I didn’t get any of that fresh baked bread smell I remember from my childhood when my mom baked white bread. I’m wondering why?

i make this bread all the time….i use a 9×5 or 4×8 bread pan….i dont have a regular oven at this time so i use my roaster oven. i find you dont need to use the water …the roaster oven steams it for you.
just a suggestion…i have 1 question….the loaf comes out nice and crisp when baked but gets hard the next day in a paper bag…if i use a plastic bag the bread becomes soft …what can i use to keep it crispy???

I have been making a variation of this recipe for a few years now and have added garlic, parmesan cheese, grated cheddar cheese and more (not all at the same time.). I always am asked to bake it for pot luck get togethers. I love the ease of making the dough and not having to kneed it. It’s perfect bread for baking at higher elevations too (I live at 6400 feet in the eastern sierras).

I tried this bread on two different weekends. Once with bread flour and once with all purpose. The first rise was not as good as the second but the result was the same. Good crust and lousy crumb.. Few bubbles, very dense loaves. very disappointing overall.

I have made no knead “ciabatta” for several years and don’t have this problem.

Do I need more water? The humidity this time of year here, South Carolina, is in the 25-40 percent range. Longer second rise? cover with amount towel for second rise?

It sounds like the crumb is not what you were expecting when using both the AP and bread flours? Bread flour will probably create a tighter crumb than when using AP. And yes, more liquid is advisable when using bread flour as bread flour has a higher percentage of protein so it will absorb more. Be sure you are measuring the flour correctly. If there is too much flour, the dough will be heavier, more dense and not rise as well. Please review these tips: The flour/liquid ratio is important in this recipe. If you measure flour by sprinkling it into your measuring cup, then gently sweeping off the excess, use 7 1/2 cups. If you measure flour by dipping your cup into the canister, then sweeping off the excess, use 6 1/2 cups. Most accurate of all (and guaranteed to give you the best results), if you measure flour by weight, use 32 ounces. Using the same ratio/measuring, you can make a half-recipe if you prefer. While it’s great to have dough on hand, it’s fine to make less. We hope you will try again! Elisabeth@KAF

To Nila Helmig- yeast occurs naturally in the air. If you see the white powdery film on grapes, that’s yeast. With that in mind, that naturally occurring yeast will have a different taste in different locations in the world. My family lived in SF for years, until I was born and my mom always said there’s nothing like a SF sourdough! You’ll have to make a great one at home:)

Yes, this can be done to a point. If your plan is to freeze for more than 4-5 days, increasing the yeast by about 20% is a good idea. The longer stay in the frig the tangier the flavor. I would call that an advantage but not all would agree! And you? Elisabeth@KAF

I made this bread over the weekend as the snow prevented me from getting out for some Italian bread for my unplanned spaghetti and meatball dinner. I haven’t had much luck with bread baking. This came out wonderful! I made 1/2 the recipe as I was running low on flour ( I now have 2 bags of flour ready to go!). I was able to make 2 loaves of bread. My family couldn’t stop eating it. It was delicious! I plan on trying again, but not making it the same day next time to see how that tastes!

I’m hooked! I tried this recipe but was skeptical because it had so few ingredients and seemed almost too easy. The bread was great! Tasty, chewy, showy! A beautiful loaf. I’m making it all the time now. The bonus is that it’s also a money saver. Much cheaper to bake at home and cheaper than my other recipes because of the number of ingredients. Thanks!

Out of curiosity, I made a batch of this bread over the snowy weekend. I was astounded at how perfectly such a super-simple recipe came out!

In my city there used to be an Italian bakery called Bonanzinga’s, which made such a phenomenal crusty Italian bread that my New York grandparents (born and raised in Little Italy) asked us to bring them several loaves whenever we visited. Sadly, the bakery closed some years ago and we haven’t been able to find bread as good.

Until now!

I don’t know whether it was dumb luck or what, but the two round loaves I made came out so close to Bonanzinga’s that the whole extended family was amazed. I did a shortish (2-hour) “refrigerated rise” by putting the big bowl of dough on a shelf in my very cold attached garage because it wouldn’t fit in the fridge.)

Just baked a loaf of this bread this morning. Didn’t rise as much as in the picture, but did spread out, so about 2 inches high and 9 inches wide. Tasted good. Crumb was fine, not any large spaces like in the picture. Was in the refrigerator over night, about 10 hours, and I let it rise (spread out) for two hours this morning. Has a crunchy crust. Any suggestions, Used all ingredients as the recipe called for and weighed ingredients.

Betsy, if you didn’t allow the dough to rise for 2 hours at room temperature before putting it in the refrigerator, this might help your dough be more lively. It also sounds like you may need to provide a little more structure for your loaf by shaping it more tightly. You can use flour to make the sticky dough easier to handle, but try to form a tighter ball and then give it a shorter rising time before baking. An hour to an hour and a half should be sufficient rising time, as long as your house is not very cool. Barb@KAF

Susan, you can successfully divide this recipe in half or a third, simply by reducing all the ingredient amounts. It’s best to do this based on the weight of the ingredients rather than the volume measurements. Barb@KAF

Is it possible to freeze the dough? I know it’s just as easy to make fresh and pull out some and bake when you want, but for something really quick and easy – could the dough be frozen? and when? Freeze after it’s shaped and risen for the hour? Par bake and then freeze? Or wait until it’s fully baked and then freeze?

Tess, you can indeed freeze the dough. We suggest increasing the yeast called for by 25 percent to help give it a boost once it has thawed. Go through the motions; knead, let it rise, deflate it, then shape or divide it if you want. You’ll then want to put it in a freezer-safe bag, a double bag is even better. If you want to vacuum seal it, freeze it solid first. It can be stored in the freezer for about 4-8 weeks. When you want to bake it, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw and rise overnight in the fridge, that way the dough will be ready to shape and bake. I hope this helps, Bryanna@KAF

The recipe I have indicates either instant or active dry yeast. So I made this with the active dry yeast, did not proof it first as the instructions did not indicate that proofing was needed. I am not an experienced bread baker. Did I just waste 7 C of flour or will this dough eventually rise ? So disappointed

Hi Caroline,
Have no fear, your dough will catch up and rise just fine. Active dry yeast does get off to a slower start but there’s no reason not to use it. I hope you’ll take a minute to check out PJ’s post on active dry yeast, it’s quite helpful. ~MJ

Hi, George. Adding sugar to a no-knead dough is going to give the yeast a turbocharging effect; it will move much faster, and depending on how long it sits, become pretty sour tasting. If you have the unsweetened dough on hand and want to roll it up with a sweet filling, that would work, but the lack of sweetness in the dough will be a pretty stark contrast to the filling. Also, this is not a tender bread by any means. It’s worth a try if you’re willing to experiment.

This is hands-down my favorite go-to bread recipe but I have to say that every time I make a loaf it’s always super dense. Regardless of how long I let it sit and rise (2hrs or 7days) it always turns out heavy and dense. How do I get the inside to be super fluffy with air-filled pockets throughout?

Kevin, this dough is liable to rise better early in the week rather than towards the end of the week. If your loaves always turn out heavy and dense, this could be a sign that your adding too much flour to the recipe. This is easy to do if you scoop your flour into the cup. For best result we recommend either weighing your ingredients or using this method to measure your flour by volume. For more help troubleshooting this recipe, please give our Baker’s Hotline a call at 855-371-2253(BAKE). Barb@KAF

For everyone who has asked about using whole wheat flour for this recipe (and I hope I’m not too late coming to the table with this!). I made this bread the other day (for the millionth time) and found that all I had was KA whole wheat, so I adjusted by adding an extra 3 1/2 Tablespoons of water and the loaves are coming out perfectly! Please note; I live in Southern Maryland and we have very humid Summers here, so I’m sure that played a part. Just wanted to let everyone know that whole wheat is definitely an option. Bon Apetit!

Hi Rhonda,
Great question! While we do lots of testing our test kitchen, baking with einkorn flour isn’t something we’ve thoroughly explored. We know that einkorn flour absorbs water in different amounts than traditional wheat flour does, and it absorbs liquid much more slowly. You can start by replacing about half of the flour with einkorn flour to ease yourself in if you like; or if you go for the full one-to-one swap, you’ll likely need to adjust the amount of flour or water in the dough until you achieve sticky, tacky dough that looks the the photos above. We’d love to know how your bread turns out, so feel free to share your results with us. Good luck! Kye@KAF

Thank you for a great recipe 🙂 I´ve made it twice, and wanted to add, that the first time around I didn´t have the time to let it sit in my kitchen the 2 hours required (before poping it into the fridge), only had it out for maybe 30-40 mins, and the result was still great, slightly less yeasty, and more manageable 🙂 just tried my second batch, this time following instructions, and it just does the trick either way 🙂

I used to bake bread from scratch many years ago. Once my children went to school and had enrichment activities I became active in the PTA, our community and constant transportation to all those activities. Eventually a full time was added and there went the bread baking. Health issues now prevent me from kneading dough so this recipe is of great interest to me. But I have questions:
How can I make the crust less “crusty” and maintain that soft crumb?
Is there a no knead bread dough recipe that cuts the carbs considerably?(for health reasons, but not a gluten issue)
Thanks for your help!

If you’d like to maintain a soft crumb from the inside out, skip the steaming/spritzing with water step and simply bake the loaves on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You may also want to brush the top of the loaves with melted butter once they come out of the oven for a soft texture and delicious flavor. As for your question about carbs, we’re not doctors or nutritionist so we’re not able to make health recommendations. However, if you talk with your doctor and find out what kind of recipes and flours might be right for your diet, we’d happy to help you incorporate these into your baking. I hope that helps! Kye@KAF

Hi Barbara, you can absolutely make up to half of the total flour whole wheat, either our Premium or white whole wheat flours. Add an additional 2 teaspoons water per cup of whole wheat flour to prevent the dough from being too dry. Happy baking! Kye@KAF

I’m planning on using this recipe for rolls to be served with Thanksgiving dinner. It’s Sunday today and I’ll bake on Thanksgiving/Thursday morning.

I figure I should use about 3 ounces of dough for each roll. So my questions are
1) How long should I bake for? 25 minutes seems like it would be too long for a little loaf like that.
2) Should I / would it be helpful to score each roll as I would a full-size boule?

Also, an observation – I used active dry yeast rather than instant so I multiplied the amount by 50%, and the dough doubled in WAY less than 2 hours – actually in about a half hour! (my kitchen was warm from other bread I was baking)

Jeff, check for doneness around 18-20 minutes, as rolls will finish baking faster than large loaves or boules. Since it’s the holidays, it might be nice to add a scoring design to the top of each of your rolls. It will help with the rise and make them look fancy, too. In the future, you can substitute the same amount of active dry yeast (ADY) for instant yeast; there’s no need to use more ADY when you make the swap. Happy baking! Kye@KAF

Another question: In the past I have purchased Trader Joe’s par-baked rolls and ficelles (i.e. take ’em out and bake for 10-12 minutes and they’re ready to serve). I’m wondering if it’s possible to do something similar with this recipe so, for example, I could make a batch of rolls, bake them partway through, and then either pop them in the freezer or bring them to a potluck, and bake them the rest of the way later on, when they can be served as ‘fresh out of the oven’.

Jeff, you could do this a number of ways, including par-baking. If you do choose to follow this route, you’ll want to make sure that your rolls reach optimal internal temperature (190 degrees) before removing from the oven, cooling, and freezing. Essentially all they’ll do when you pop them back into the oven is warm and darken a bit. It’s also possible to shape and freeze rolls made with this dough before baking, as we describe here:http://bit.ly/2gewTJq Once thawed in the fridge overnight, the rolls can be baked as Kye recommended earlier. Hope this helps! Mollie@KAF

i made this last weekend in a bucket just like the one shown and put it in the frig during the week. today, saturday, i pulled off 14 oz and it’s rising to room temperature right now. i realized that i could remove the rest of the doygh from the bucket, store it in a gallon ziploc in the frig, and start another bucket! that way i can have a fresh boule every day if i want, in perpetuity!

p.s. i’m also adding in some sourdough starter discard, to persuade the flavor some…